Carville: 'Incumbent Mentality' Could Lose Obama Election

Sounding a call to arms, political strategist James Carville is warning his fellow Democrats that they could lose the presidency to Republican Mitt Romney because of a lazy “incumbent mentality” that seems to be taking hold among party activists and donors.

“We’re a long way from having this thing in the bag,” Carville told CNN’s John King Tuesday. “It’s going to be a brutally tough election.”

In an opinion piece posted on CNN's website, Carville was also blunt in his assessment of the match-up between Romney and President Barack Obama.

“My message is simple: WTFU. Translated — wake the you-know-what up, there is an earthquake,” he said, adding that recent polls showing Romney ahead or tied with Obama “are not that encouraging” for Democrats.

Carville also pointed to the elections in France and other European countries as clear evidence that incumbents are falling out of favor around the world.

And in a pointed reference to Obama, he said, “You can shoot five bin Ladens, you can save 10,000 banks and 20 car companies, even pass the most sweeping legislation in modern American history; if people don’t think that you are connected to their lives and are fighting for their interests they will vote your tush out of office in a nano-second.”

“If we don’t get on the offense, reconnect with the American people, talk about how the middle class is in a struggle for its very existence, hold the Republicans accountable, and fight like the dickens, we are going to lose,” Carville said.